golden | ziam

3. REAR VIEW

❝heard about all the things you done,
and all the walls you've been in
heard about all the love you lost
It was over before it began❞

The warm caramel gently melted in his mouth as he brought the now half-empty cup to his soft, pink lips. The cool air touched his exposed neck, which was unable to be hidden by the too short material of the jacket, which, despite great and long choices in the early morning spent in front of the open wardrobe, he ended up wearing. He took slow steps, this time not listening to any melody that would make the short walk he went on more pleasant - he was accompanied only by the singing of birds, the stream of water that flowed through the fountain, and the sound of steps he took with heavy shoes. Colorful leaves slowly fell onto the sidewalk, and cars driving across the street encountered puddles of various sizes, leaving wet traces on the asphalt.

Almost everything was where it should have been. The quiet singing of passers-by and the loud sound of the guitar strings of an elderly man sitting at the bakery collecting money into the instrument's case harmonized with each other. Barking dogs taking in the cool air, probably enjoying the end of the high summer temperatures. Children returning from school carrying a school bag stuffed with colored markers and crayons in one hand and waving with the other to their parents who had picked them up after a long day. The pleasant smells of cakes, rolls and various freshly baked snacks that could be bought at a nearby bakery spread throughout the street.

He put the pencils he bought in his friend's art store into his shoulder bag and sent one last smile of his best towards the street musician, who thanked him with a hand gesture for the tip and, not caring about the teenager's anymore, continued playing, making him laugh. Everything around was worth admiring, if you looked at it from the right perspective for once. This is how he found amazing aspects in ordinary things that were really difficult to detect with a simple glance.

A light rain began to fall as the last rays of sunlight were obscured by dark clouds hovering over Wolverhampton. However, he didn't speed up his pace, ignoring the rain that was making his clothes, as well as his hair, wetter. Drops of water began to bounce off the plastic lid onto the paper cup, and people around started looking for a safe place to hide. He was grateful that the weekend had arrived and he could afford a short break, even if it was spent reading a book and walking through the city streets.

He chose a different path than usual, yet he knew perfectly well where he was going.

* * *

The door to the café opened, indicating another customer had arrived. Cool air blew into the rather small, cozy room. Several colorful leaves fell inside, falling lightly to the floor. Goosebumps appeared on his arms, and his gaze wandered to the figure of the person who decided to visit this place less than an hour before closing time. Her dark, curly hair fell over her shoulders and she held a newspaper in her hand, fiercely keeping her anger on her face. She looked around, then casually walked to the register, as if to place an order. She wore a long black dress that covered most of her body, and a jacket lay over her shoulders, which she took off as soon as she entered. Shortly after she entered, a significantly older man appeared at her side, who also looked displeased, for unknown reasons. He was the literal antonym of the woman who stood right next to him. A sports jersey, probably of some soccer team, shorts reaching to mid thigh, and knee high socks that had visible signs of wear and dried mud stains. He was quite tall and had a baseball cap on his head. It covered his dark hair, some strands of which were loosely coming out through the hole at the back of his headgear.

Before he could look back, Liam stood behind the counter and he wasn't much pleased when he saw the people standing in front of him. His face showed surprise, which a moment later turned into curiosity as he snatched the newspaper from the girl's hand. He quickly found the page he was looking for and delved into it, not taking his eyes off the text for the next few seconds. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead looked at the people in front of him as if he was at a loss for words. The man uttered a few possibly significant words, then shook his head as if in loss of strength and walked out of the café without looking back, slamming the door shut with a bang and causing the eyes of everyone present to turn towards the loud sound. He grabbed the pen he used to write down orders and began scribbling furiously on the page he had been reading earlier. He exchanged a few words with the girl, and her face showed remorse, as if she had done something wrong and regretted it.

A few moments passed and the room was practically empty. The coffee he had ordered earlier was almost cold, and the cookies he received with it were still wrapped in plastic and untouched on the table. He spent several pounds on this, which he could have spent on more important things, but it was too late for that. He grabbed a patterned mug and drank some of his drink, as not to look too suspicious.

He decided to leave the cafe at closing time so that he could take the boy home safely. Almost eight pm and it was already dark outside, as the street was lit only by a few lamps and neon shop signs. The city that was once so busy during the day suddenly became empty, and fewer cars crossed the road. The last people left the cafeteria, leaving small tips on the tables and allowing a cool gust of wind and a few colorful leaves to blow through the temporarily open door, which were almost immediately pushed towards the dustpan held by one of the employees.

It was easy to notice that the staff's faces showed fatigue due to overload at work. They painstakingly took the next steps, completing the tasks assigned to them, probably secretly rejoicing with the fact that they were just a few minutes before closing.